Discover six of the best guided journals to help you reflect, clarify your thoughts, and support your mental well-being.
Life can feel overwhelming at times. We all experience worry, stress, or moments of feeling out of control, and sometimes, we just need a place to put those thoughts. That’s where journaling comes in.
Psychotherapist Haley Neidich, a journaler herself, incorporates journaling into all of her clients’ treatment plans, tailoring the practice to fit each person.
Some people write before a therapy session to organize their thoughts and make the most of their time. Others journal in the morning to clear their minds and feel more grounded as they head into the day.
“I’ve witnessed journaling serve as a powerful booster to therapy, and it’s a very creative way to get to know oneself,” says Neidich.
By putting thoughts into words, you can begin to notice patterns, process emotions more clearly, clarify goals, and build a stronger connection with yourself.
While journaling isn’t a replacement for professional care, it can be a meaningful, low-pressure way to reflect and reset.
Here’s how to find the perfect guided journal for you.
Picking a journal can be a personal experience, but we narrowed down our list based on three major points:
- Ease of use: Whether you’re new to journaling or a regular, every journal on the list should work for you. They’re easy to follow and don’t require any advanced experience.
- Time commitment: When choosing each guided journal, we considered the time commitment required. We narrowed it down to options that require only a few minutes a day or a few minutes a week. This prevents a lack of time from becoming a barrier to building this healthy habit.
- Price: We considered a range of budgets when building our list. All of the journals are under $30, with a handful retailing for less than $10.
Pricing guide
- $ = under $15
- $$ = over $15
We’ve rounded up our top 6 guided journals to fit every type of journaler.
- Price: $
- Who it’s best for: anyone new to journaling who wants to start with weekly, rather than daily, prompts
This guided journal features 52 weeks of prompts inspired by Zen Buddhism. You don’t have to be spiritual to get something from it, though. Reviewers say the prompts are approachable and easy to respond to.
None of the prompts are dated, so skipping a day doesn’t mean you’ll end up with a backlog of prompts to complete. Writing space is limited, though, so keep that in mind if you’re someone who wants a lot of room to express yourself.
Pros
- prompts are easy to respond to
- not dated, so skipping a week doesn’t matter
Cons
- writing space is limited
- Price: $$
- Who it’s best for: those who want to focus on personal or professional goals without committing a ton of time to journaling
The Poketo planner isn’t a traditional guided journal, but it does have space to work out your thoughts and emotions. There’s also space to track your weekly successes. Whether you want to dedicate that space to personal or professional goals (or both) is totally up to you.
Pros
- doesn’t require a major time commitment
- has daily, weekly, and monthly planning calendars
Cons
- has repetitive prompts
- Price: $
- Who it’s best for: those who want to work on their gratitude practice, but only want to spend a few minutes a day journaling
This journal is Neidich’s personal recommendation. It’s designed to help people create a journaling practice. Each prompt takes just a few minutes to respond to.
Reviewers say writing in the journal helps boost their mood and positive emotions.
Pros
- prompts can be answered in a few minutes
- designed to cultivate joy and gratitude
Cone
- very limited writing space
- Price: $–$$
- Who it’s best for: those who want to identify and overcome personal habits and traits that may be holding them back
Hear that? It’s a long sigh of relief, the sound of you letting go of what’s on your mind. Reviewers love this vulgar little journal and say it’s helped them sort out their thoughts and feelings.
One reviewer does point out that the tone may be too glib for people experiencing serious mental health issues. But many people say the prompts are helpful, and the inspirational quotes and passages are funny and entertaining.
Pros
- incorporates humor
- includes inspirational quotes and motivational passages with prompts
Cons
- not suitable for those with serious mental health issues
- Price: $
- Who it’s best for: those who want to get out their innermost thoughts without judgment
This aptly titled journal has over 25,000 positive reviews on Amazon. Some reviewers were disappointed to find that the book doesn’t, in fact, come with matches to set it ablaze. But many find the prompts fun and edgy.
Reviewers also point out that it’s probably best suited to younger journalers.
Pros
- open-ended questions that inspire creativity
- compact and easy to carry with you
Cons
- prompts may be too edgy for some
- Price: $$
- Who it’s best for: those who want to keep their journal for years to look back on progress and thoughts
There’s enough space in this journal to write down a line a day for 5 whole years. It’s a great way to preserve memories, but you can also use it to quickly get out your thoughts and feelings.
Reviewers say it’s surprisingly compact and easy to take anywhere. People also appreciate that it requires a very minimal time commitment.
Pros
- requires very little time commitment
- has enough space for 5 years of journaling
Cons
- hard to write in because of its compact size
Guided journals can help with everything from cultivating gratitude and self-awareness to building professional skills. When choosing a journal, there are a few factors you may want to consider:
- End goal: What are you hoping to get out of journaling? Do you want to dig deeper into your innermost thoughts and feelings? Do you want to become more productive and confident? Once you narrow that down, you can focus on journals specifically designed to help in these areas.
- Time commitment: The next thing to consider is how much time you want to spend journaling. Do you want to commit to a daily practice, or prefer a weekly commitment? Do you want to write a line or two or expand into lengthier paragraphs? The answers to these questions can help you decide how many prompts you want the journal to have and how much writing space you need.
- Type of prompts: Do you want questions that require written answers? Would you prefer artistic prompts that allow you to draw your feelings? Or maybe you want a combination of prompts and blank space that gives you the freedom to explore your own thoughts without limitations? Once you decide on what this looks like, it’s easier to figure out which journal will work best for you.
Neidich recommends incorporating a journaling practice into your daily routine. She assures that long, drawn-out sessions are not necessary. Two to five minutes is absolutely enough time to express yourself and reap the benefits of this habit.
She offers some tips for making journaling a habit:
- work it into an existing routine
- find a comfortable spot to journal
- set a timer
- write your thoughts down without editing yourself
“You don’t need to read what you wrote or feel that it’s a complete or cohesive journal entry,” says Neidich.
She recommends free journaling for beginners but understands that some people need more structure. Gratitude journaling is another form of journaling that some people find helpful. Neidich suggests combining journaling practices (e.g., free and gratitude) for the maximum benefit.
Goal setting
Journaling can be a helpful complementary treatment approach for people with mental health concerns. However, it can also be helpful for personal and professional goal-setting.
Colin Palfrey, CMO of Majesty Coffee, says that after receiving a guided journal as a gift several years ago, he’s kept up the practice.
“It’s a simple [exercise] to just write down one thing about your day every day,” says Palfrey. “It’s amazing to see how life has changed over the last 3 years … [it’s] a good reminder of how far I’ve come.”
For Ian Sells, CEO and founder of RebateKey, the habit began when he purchased a planner with space for journaling.
“[A] lot of my personal goals are tied into my business goals … I like working out my thoughts in writing because it forces me to think clearly,” says Sells.
Self-care
Natasha Davis, mom and small business owner, says that gratitude journaling is a form of self-care. It allows her to focus on her successes.
“My gratitude journal makes me take stock every day of all the positives, however small,” says Davis.
It has also encouraged her to create a visual representation, what she calls a “positivity wall”, of what she’s been writing in her journal. Her 6-year-old son even asked to have his very own positivity wall.
“[N]ot only has my journaling experience helped me, it’s also helping my son, too,” she says, adding that she eventually plans on introducing her son to journaling.
Neidich encourages introducing young people to journaling.
“If you have a pre-teen or teenager in your life, a beautiful new journal is one of the more special gifts you can give them,” she says. “Journaling is an important, lifelong, mental health practice, and encouraging it early can really help to bolster resiliency.”
For Davis, journaling is a nightly habit. A phone reminder nudges her every night at 10 p.m. to get to it. When she misses a few nights of journaling, she says it’s definitely noticeable.
What’s the difference between a journal and a diary?
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they do mean slightly different things. A diary can be a daily record of what happened that day.
It’s more of a play-by-play of events, rather than a lot of introspection or looking forward to the future. A journal is a place to log thoughts, feelings, dreams, goals, or observations.
What is junk journaling?
Junk journaling is using recycled materials, like papers, photos, and even books, to create a handmade journal of your own. You can collect pictures or excerpts from books and magazines that speak to you, or use these materials as a base for additional art, like painting.
You can also create writing spots by adding blank pages or putting pieces of blank paper over the recycled materials.
What makes a good guided journal?
A good guided journal really comes down to one thing: creative prompts that help you self-reflect or get your thoughts out on paper. There are many types of guided journals, from manifestation to fitness, so what’s best depends on what you’re looking for.
When looking for a guided journal, read through the prompts to see which resonate with you, then make your choice from there.
Remember that guided journaling (or journaling of any kind) isn’t a substitute for professional help. If you’re having difficulty with your mental health, speak with a mental health professional.
And don’t take guided journaling too seriously. It can be a fun, cathartic way to get your thoughts on paper, but it doesn’t have to rule your life. You won’t lose points if you accidentally skip a day or two. Do it as long as it makes you feel good.
Steph Coelho is a freelance writer with chronic migraine who has a particular interest in health and wellness. When she’s not click-clacking away on her keyboard, she’s probably nose-deep in a good book.